• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.6
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• pp.599-608
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• 2023

The present study is focused on instigation of the nonlinear mechanical behavior of reinforced concrete beams considering different types of FRP bars through nonlinear finite element simulations. To explore the impact of the FRP reinforcement type and geometry on the nonlinear mechanical behavior of reinforced beam, intensive parametric studies are carried out and discussed. Twenty models were carried out based on the finite element software (ABAQUS). The concrete damage plasticity model was considered. Four types of fiber polymer bars, CFRP, GFRP, AFRP and BFRP as longitudinal reinforcement for concrete beam were used. The validation of numerical results was confirmed by experimental as well as numerical results, then the parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effect of change in different parameters, such as bar diameter size, type of FRP bars and shear span length. All results were analyzed and discussed through, load-deflection diagram. The results showed that the use of FRP bars in rebar concrete beam improves the beam stiffness and enhance the ultimate load capacity. The load capacity enhanced in the range of (20.44-244.47%) when using different types of FRP bars. The load-carrying capacity of beams reinforced with CFRP is the highest one, beams reinforced with AFRP is higher than that reinforced with BFRP but beams reinforced with GFRP recorded the lowest load of capacity compered with other beams reinforced with FRP Bars.

• Journal of Adhesion and Interface
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.44-52
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• 2002

Composite materials are created by combining two or more component to achieve desired properties which could not be obtained with the separate components. The use of reinforcing fillers, which can reduce material costs and improve certain properties, is increasing in thermoplastic polymer composites. Currently, various inorganic fillers such as talc, mica, clay, glass fiber and calcium carbonate are being incorporated into thermoplastic composites. Nevertheless, lignocellulose fibers have drawn attention due to their abundant availability, low cost and renewable nature. In recent, interest has grown in composites made from lignocellulose fiber in thermoplastic polymer matrices, particularly for low cost/high volume applications. In addition to high specific properties, lignocellulose fibers offer a number of benefits for lignocellulose fiber/thermoplastic polymer composites. These include low hardness, which minimize abrasion of the equipment during processing, relatively low density, biodegradability, and low cost on a unit-volume basis. In spite of the advantage mentioned above, the use of lignocellulose fibers in thermoplastic polymer composites has been plagued by difficulties in obtaining good dispersion and strong interfacial adhesion because lignocellulose fiber is hydrophilic and thermoplastic polymer is hydrophobic. The application of lignocellulose fibers as reinforcements in composite materials requires, just as for glass-fiber reinforced composites, a strong adhesion between the fiber and the matrix regardless of whether a traditional polymer matrix, a biodegradable polymer matrix or cement is used. Further this article gives a survey about physical and chemical treatment methods which improve the fiber matrix adhesion, their results and effects on the physical properties of composites. Coupling agents in lignocellulose fiber and polymer composites play a very important role in improving the compatibility and adhesion between polar lignocellulose fiber and non-polar polymeric matrices. In this article, we also review various kinds of coupling agent and interfacial mechanism or phenomena between lignocellulose fiber and thermoplastic polymer.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 2004

Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) is considered as a candidate technology for applications in stationary, transportation as well as electronic power generation purposes. To develop a high performance direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC), a competent electrolyte membrane is needed. The electrolyte membrane should be durable and methanol crossover must be low. One of the approaches to increase the stability of generally used polymer electrolyte membranes such as Nafion against swelling or thermal degradation is to bond it with an inorganic material physically or chemically. In Noritake Company, we have developed a novel method of reinforcing the polymer electrolyte matrix with inorganic fibers. Methanol crossover values measured were significantly lower than the original polymer electrolyte membranes. These fiber reinforced electrolyte membranes (FREM) were used for DMFC study and stable power output values as high 160 mW/$\textrm{cm}^2$ were measured. The details of the characteristics of the membranes as well as I-V data of fuel cell stacks are detailed in the paper.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.51-69
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• 2015

In recent years, the use of fiber reinforced polymer composites has increased because of their unique features. They have been used widely in the aircraft and space industries, medical and sporting goods and automotive industries. Thanks to their beneficial and various advantages over traditional materials such as high strength, high rigidity, low weight, corrosion resistance, low maintenance cost, aesthetic appearance and easy demountable or moveable construction. In this paper, it is aimed to determine and compare the geometrically nonlinear static and dynamic analysis results of footbridges using steel and glass fiber reinforced polymer composite (GFRP) materials. For this purpose, Halgavor suspension footbridge is selected as numerical examples. The analyses are performed using three identical footbridges, first constructed from steel, second built only with GFRP material and third made of steel- GFRP material, under static and dynamic loadings using finite element method. In the finite element modeling and analyses, SAP2000 program is used. Geometric nonlinearities are taken into consideration in the analysis using P-Delta criterion. The numerical results have indicated that the responses of the three bridges are different and that the response values obtained for the GFRP composite bridge are quite less compared to the steel bridge. It is understood that GFRP material is more useful than the steel for the footbridges.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.38-44
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• 2007

Combat vehicles are frequently maneuvered in battlefields when the lives of combatants are being threatened. These vehicles are important elements that influence the consequences of a battle. Their armor must be lightweight and provide excellent protection to ensure successful operations. Ceramic composite armor has recently been developed by many countries to fulfill these requirements. We reviewed previous research to determine an effective armor design, and then fabricated a composite armor structure using $Al_2O_3$ and glass fiber-reinforced polymer. Specimens were manufactured under controlled conditions using different backing plate thicknesses and bonding methods for the ceramic layer and the backing plate. The penetration of an armor-piercing bullet was evaluated from ballistic protection tests. The bonding method between the ceramic layer and the fiber-reinforced polymer influenced the ballistic protection performance. A bonding layer using rubber provided the best protection.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.424-427
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• 2016

A microwave NDI(Nondestructive Inspecting) method, based on SAR(Synthetic Aperture Radar) for inspecting such internal flaws or physical demage of FRP(Fiber Reinforced Polymer), is proposed in this paper. When a microwave is incident perpendicularly toward a multilayer dielectric FRP material, it gives a good response for the interfaces or transverse cracks. Interface depths or defect positions can be presented from the reflection waves, as using SAR imagery technique. As a result, it can be shown that such a SAR system can effectively inspect the type, size, or location of flaws within FRP composite material.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.121-133
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• 2007

To gain understanding of the applicability of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) cable in cable-supported bridges, based on the Runyang Bridge and Jinsha Bridge, a suspension bridge using CFRP cables and a cable-stayed bridge using CFRP stay cables are schemed, in which the cable's cross-sectional area is determined by the principle of equivalent axial stiffness. Numerical investigations on the dynamic behavior, aerostatic and aerodynamic stability of the two bridges are conducted by 3D nonlinear analysis, and the effect of different cable materials on the wind resistance is discussed. The results show that as CFRP cables are used in cable-supported bridges, (1) structural natural frequencies are all increased, and particularly great increase of the torsional frequency occurs for suspension bridges; (2) under the static wind action, structural deformation is increased, however its aerostatic stability is basically remained the same as that of the case with steel cables; (3) for suspension bridge, its aerodynamic stability is superior to that of the case with steel cables, but for cable-stayed bridge, it is basically the same as that of the case with steel stay cables. Therefore as far as the wind resistance is considered, the use of CFRP cables in cable-supported bridges is feasible, and the cable's cross-sectional area should be determined by the principle of equivalent axial stiffness.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.653-663
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• 2022

This study reports the results of a series of tests of pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer (P-GFRP) box section composite profile columns, geometrically similar with/without concrete core, containing 0-1-2-3% steel fiber, with different lengths. The recycled steel wires were obtained from waste tyres. The effects of steel fiber ratio on the collapse and size effect of concrete filled P-GFRP columns under axial pressure were investigated experimentally and analytically. A total of 36 columns were tested under compression. The presence of pultruded profile and steel wire ratio were selected as the primary variable. The capacity of pultruded profiles with infilled concrete are averagely 9.3 times higher than the capacity of concrete without pultruded profile. The capacity of pultruded profiles with infilled concrete are averagely 34% higher than that of the pultruded profiles without infilled concrete. The effects of steel wire ratio are more pronounced in slender columns which exhibit buckling behavior. Moreover, the proposed analytical approach to calculate the capacity of P-GFRP columns successfully predicted the experimental findings in terms of both pure axial and buckling capacity.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.23-34
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• 2003

This study was carried out to investigate the mechanical properties of fabric E-glass fiber reinforced laminated timber. Specimens used to Korean red pine(Pinus densiflora) and Japanese larch(Larix kaemferi). Fabric E-glass fiber was inserted in the solid wood with aqueous polymer-isocyanate resin(MPU-500). The results were as follows: 1. Aqueous polymer-isocyanate resin(MPU-500) was good resin to manufacture laminated timber. specially, it was satisfied to property standard of construction laminated timber(KS F 3021) except for two ply glass fiber. 2. Bending and shear strengths of solid wood inserted with fabric glass fibers were not different from control solid wood. But, proportional limit bending stress was increased following the number of fabric glass fibers. Therefore, it was considered that to improve the bending and shear strength of fabric glass fiber reinforced laminated timber, the glass fiber thickness and its mesh should be modified to fitness following working conditions.

• Polymer Science and Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.20-34
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• 1999